Vietnam Veterans Ceremony in Gulfport

This morning, Vietnam veterans and current service members gathered together at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport for a special ceremony honoring those who fought in the Vietnam War.

The keynote speaker was Charles Purchner Jr., the past State Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and also a retired Air Force master.

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During the ceremony, the VFW donated decals to the Seabee Base to put on all the street signs that read the name ‘Marvin Glenn Shields,’ who was the first and only United States Navy Seabee to be awarded the Medal of Honor. “So, when people see the street signs on the Seabee Base with the decal and the picture of the Medal of Honor on it, they will make the connection that Marvin Shields is a Medal of Honor recipient and that’s why the street is named after him. It’s most important to remember all our veterans, but those who received the Medal of Honor are very, very special to us because they lost their lives for our country,” said Purchner.